


Beyond good and evil

by Carabesh



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: description of injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 12:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11127195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carabesh/pseuds/Carabesh
Summary: Black Hat is approached by a strange man with an interesting deal, but what exactly is offered and what demanded?





	Beyond good and evil

Black Hat threw a swift glance at the ancient grandfather clock on the far wall of his office. His expected business partner would shortly arrive. A first meeting, no previous encounters had been conducted between Black Hat Inc. and this partner. Black Hat himself wasn’t even completely certain of the business name, whether it was a villain looking for possible new weaponry in his future arsenal or simply another business man in search for a new and strong partner on the market. Whatever it was, Black Hat was interested, it partially spiked him with ecstasy to meet this man.

The clock stroke six in the evening. The house was usually quiet around this time, it’s inhabitants going after chores, work or simple late afternoon relaxation. Flug certainly was in his lab, constructing another mechanism or gun for the catalogue. 5.0.5. would either be with him and observe his every move in curious innocence or clean the hallways; Dementia always found something to occupy her mind with around this time, too. She sometimes observed pedestrians from the roof (at times throwing water bombs at them), annoy 5.0.5. while doing his assignments or simply count spots on the tapestry. But she left Black Hat alone.

A soft knock echoed from the tall door on the other side of the room. Black Hats smile grew on his face, he was looking forward to this. A barely noticeable clack and the door swung open slow but steadily.

“Mr. Black Hat, I presume?” The man stood in the completely opened doorway; giving him a friendly smile, as if they would have known each other for ages. Black Hat raised the corners of his mouth to reflect it in a similar fashion.

“In person.”

The man’s smile grew a little wider as if meeting an old friend. He took a few small steps into the room and shut the door behind him. Afterwards he continued on to Black Hat’s desk with precision; stopping at an armlength away.

Black Hat estimated him to be in his late 40s or early 50s. His hair had grayed and was kept in a softly smoothed back style. His lower face was covered by a full beard; and yet the soft-edged face was perceptible. Around five to seven inches taller than Black Hat himself with a husky built. Formal business attire with a dark-grey suit and a white shirt; a stick pin made of white gold shaped like a calla lily was on his left lapel.

His eyes were warm; kind and calm. An uncommon sight for Black Hat during his business meetings.

“A pleasure to meet you Mr. Black Hat.” He extended his right arm, offering a formal greeting.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Black Hat responded, rising from his chair and accepting the hand shake.

“However, it seems that your name was never brought to my attention.”

“Ah, yes. Please forgive me this inconvenience. I am known as Freund Hain.” Black Hat’s lips curled in a slight smile.

“Please, Mr. Hain,” he gestured to the chair opposing his. “Have a seat. Can I offer you anything?”

Mr. Hain lowered himself on the chair, sitting with a straight back but not tensed. The calm smile still present on his face; wrinkles around the edges of his eyes and cheeks indicating that this expression was usual for him. “No thank you Mr. Black Hat. In fact, I would like to come straight to the point of this meeting I requested.”

Black Hat folded his fingers together, this he anticipated. In his line of business, you didn’t tend to waste time with useless small talk. Results mattered more than working relationships and a successful deal was always a pleasure, especially when on the gaining side.

“Certainly, Mr. Hain. You will find that I can provide you with an array of qualitative way to get rid of pests in your life,” Black Hat eyed Freund Hain for a cautious second. His way of presentation and quiet talking didn’t strike him as the typical villain to go after his enemies personally. Henchman would be more his field of process.

“If you’re looking for state-of-art equipment for minions I am certain we will find a suitable device for your needs at an acceptable price.” Mr. Hain showed no change in gesture or expression that would indicate that he was interested in this kind of service.

“Actually, Mr. Black Hat, I am coming to you with a different kind of offer in mind. I am seeking less to buy and more to sell. I would like to offer you something I am interested into you to have.” His smile didn’t break, his expression didn’t falter.

Black Hat was taken aback for a split second; his business wasn’t about buying, only selling. Money inflow mattered to him, if something new was necessary there were other ways to get it. Requirement for something didn’t automatically imply paying for something.

“I have to say, Mr. Hain, that this business has little interest in buying,” there had to be something to it. No sane person would walk into Black Hats office with such an offer if it wasn’t certain to not get them killed. Wasting his time was lunatic idea.

But Freund Hain had no maniac vibe around him. His quiet appearance had something reassuring and common. He wasn’t someone to stick out in a crowd, unlike many villains and heroes he knew and used to know. Whatever he had to offer, Black Hat expected it to be good.

“But I also think that you wouldn’t attend this meeting if you weren’t sure about this deal and its details. I am interested in what you have to say.” Black Hat leaned back in his chair. He expected a nice showcase; and if not, the evening was still young.

“I know about your business model, Mr. Black Hat, and I thank you for giving me a piece of your valuable time.” Mr. Hain gestured to a painting of Black Hat on the left wall of the room. An imposing picture of Black Hat with dark but vibrant colours, standing in a devastated field and holding a human skull in his right hand; a smug and cruel smile on his face. It captured his essence quite well.

“I’ve been aware your work for a very long time now and I do have to say that my own business profits from your services in a great way, more than you might recognize at first. However, over the past few decades I couldn’t help but notice how your approach changed in certain ways compared to _before_.”

Black Hat raised an eyebrow at that statement. A change of his approach? Decades? Black Hat quickly glanced over Freund Hain again. He had indicated to be active in the business for decades, making him require to start at a rather young age for such a comment. Black Hat was curious when he had started to observe this proclaimed shift. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table.

“And what exactly would this _change_ be?”

“Compared to your beginnings, I am sure you are aware of them yourself.” _His beginnings_? “At the very start you would act on your own in your line of work, tackling issues yourself and having a direct hand in the game. But with the passing of time, you started to let others take over this kind of labour. Letting them do the work while providing them with your services in technology instead,” Black Hats attention was focused almost completely on Freund Hain now.

_What was Hain referring to in his riddled way of speaking_?

Black Hat was growing tense over the way he talked about his work. Hain was still as calm as when he had entered the room. And the observed timeframe he brought up; if he was truly older than Black Hat, his appearance was a disguise for something else. _Something that couldn’t be human but presented that way_.

“With the change of becoming the supplier in this field, you gave my business another pillar of stability. And I am interested into keeping this possible.” Hain continued.

Was he after a takeover? An offer for a joint venture? Did he just want to play a game?

“I therefore would like for you to keep running this business rather smoothly for a long time.” Black Hat felt fury beginning to spread inside of him. What was this offer Hain talked about supposed to be? How could his business possibly gain from this? How was Hain able to apparently make a profit out of Black Hat without him noticing?

“Please, elaborate on this offer you talked about.” Black Hat did his best to reenact the calmness emitting from Hain. However, he felt like Hain saw right through his disguise and was aware of the nervousness inside of him.

Hain continued his warm smile, there wasn’t a single trace of arrogance in it. It almost drove Black Hat over the edge.

“I would like for you to stay in a favourable position in the market as long as possible, yet I have to fear that an approaching shift will make this impossible. I would like to avoid this.”

“An approaching shift, you say? Mr. Hain, please forgive my incredulousness, but I am having trouble to see how you could be able to predict such a change. Even if so, I don’t think that such a possible event would have a tedious effect on me. I have been in the market for a long time and am certain to be able to adapt to almost all problems.”

Hain seemed unfazed by Black Hats explanation.

“Certainly, Mr. Black Hat, I know enough about you to ensure that you will prevail most scenarios this life will throw at you. This however, is not only concerning you, but specifically your company as well. To avoid this, I want to offer you detailed information about these changes, leaving it in your power to act upon them, in whatever way you please.”

Black Hat was sure that the disbelief was recognizable on his face, his expression turning somewhat sour. Hain had nothing about him that would indicate him as a villain, his relaxed exterior indicating that he was sure of himself and would get what he wanted.

“If I may ask, how exactly are you getting this _information_ , Mr. Hain? Knowledge about the market development may come easier to some than others, but indicating it with such certainty implies that your sources are very reliable. I would like to know more before I accept any kind of deal.”

Hain chuckled slightly, but not gleefully. “Mr. Black Hat, this information doesn’t concern the development of the market or the rising of new technologies. It far more concerns your workforce.”

Black Hat felt how he lost control over the expression on his face, almost changing for a short moment to a grimace of eldritch terror. No business partner had ever dared to bring up the _three idiots_ working for him. The human factor in his business, sometimes taking a greater toll on him than he would voluntarily agree on. He disliked the direction this conversation was proceeding in.

“What kind of information could you offer me, that I couldn’t possibly obtain from my workforce myself?” Black Hats voice had turned cold. Sure, they were idiots, but they were _his_. And he would make damn sure that he wasn’t screwed over in this meeting. Hain only smiled his calm smile.

“What I offer you, Mr. Black Hat, is more than your workforce could possibly ever know about themselves. I have … certain information about their ways, how they act and react.” If Black Hat would be holding something he would have squished it right now, Hain was pushing his buttons in a previously unknown way.

“Well…, would you be so kind and tell me how they will _act and react_ about something outside of their knowledge?” Black Hats voice was close to dripping with sarcasm. He was tired of the game Hain played. He wanted him to just spill the beans, just as Hain wanted him to lose control of his temper.

And for a very brief moment Black Hat was certain that Hain’s smile turned cold. Gone within the instance he thought he saw it appear.

“I actually would prefer to show it to you, Mr. Black Hat,” and with a swift gesture Freund Hain placed a briefcase on the table. Grayish and inconspicuous as so many. It took Black Hat by surprise for a moment, Hain hadn’t entered with anything in his hands. “I might even think you will find this a little bit disturbing.” The buckles gave a sharp sound when the snapped open and Black Hat leaned a little bit closer, curious what this man was hiding from him.

Hain pulled out a paper file with 5.0.5. name printed in bold letters on it. _So, he knew about him and personal details_. He had always tried to keep the failed experiment away from the public eye, only giving little information about the creation. Right now, it gave Black Hat more details to think about the identity of the man sitting across his table. His growing uneasiness about this meeting was nagging in the back of his mind.

Hain laid the file flat on the table and pushed it towards Black Hat.

“Please, take a look.”

Black Hat eyed Hain for one last moment, then brought his attention to the papers in front of him. He flipped the file open; basic information about 5.0.5. was on the top, nothing outside of his precognition about the bear.

However, what caught his true attention was the photography clipped on the lower body of the paper. His breath got caught in the back of his throat for a moment.

It was 5.0.5., sprawled on the ground with the top half of his head as a bloody, meaty skull exposed. His eyes were empty in a lifeless way and the expression engraved on what was left of his face resembled shock. Black Hats mouth was about to drop open in confusion, but he was able to catch himself in the last second.

“What is _this_ supposed to be?” He asked decisively.

“ _This_ will be the death of your employee 5.0.5.,” finally Hain’s smile had vanished. His look rather calculating, observing Black Hats face closely for change. Black Hat would not give him the satisfaction of showcasing strong emotion, he had to remain imperturbable.

“I believe, Mr. Black Hat, that this will bring up certain questions you would like to be answered and I am more than willing to do so.” Black Hat unclipped the photograph from the document to study it more closely. Surely, this had to be a manipulation, faked or staged. 5.0.5. was in his house, he had last seen him less than two hours ago, not enough time to abduct the bear without his knowledge and produce _this_. Hain should know that he couldn’t fool Black Hat with something so profoundly fake.

“Mr. Hain, I appreciate your sense for drama, but I find myself having a hard time to believe you. My employee is still residing in this house and in best health. A manipulated photography about his corpse is not impressing me. So, Mr. Hain; what do you want?”

“I assure you that this photo is not manipulated in any way,” Hain took one of the documents out of the file as if wanting to read it. “This is a picture taken shortly after your employee 5.0.5. will be shot in the head by a vigilant hero with lower morals, trying to thin out the current arms dealers’ market. An unexpected raid on your very own property, this hero will manage to disable your security system, destroy at least half of your stored goods, and finally, when clashing into 5.0.5. he will shoot without a second thought.

Using .50 AE ammunition in such a close range and the element of surprise on his side, your employee will have no time to react properly. The bullet will enter 5.0.5.s frontal bone of his cranium above his left eye, shattering the surrounding structure. It will continue on through the left part of his frontal lobe, turning the tissue into mush, followed by his left parietal lobe and parts of his occipital lobe. The bullet will then leave his cranium by shattering the occipital bone and finally lodge itself into the wall behind 5.0.5.

5.0.5. will die immediately; no real pain but shock and fear as the last of his emotions. Alarmed by the sound of the gunshot you will investigate the noise and find the scene. You will dispose of the intruder in a violent manner, yet the death of 5.0.5. will leave your workforce in shambles and divided.”

Black Hat folded his hands in front of his face, desperately trying to keep them from trembling with anger and frustration.

“Mr. Hain, _what do you want_?”

“I want you to have even more information about this event,” his calm smile had returned. “As you have already guessed from my phrasing, this event is still _supposed to happen_. I have already given you information why and how your employee will die, but the most important part is still missing.

However, today I am here to offer you this missing part of knowledge, so you can use it as you see fit.

Mr. Black Hat, I am offering you the exact date, time and location of your employees’ deaths.”

Black Hat felt himself grow stiff, yet oddly numb and empty. _His employees’ deaths_. An outlook into the dire fate of his minions. Their mortality was something Black Hat liked to push aside, not really thinking about it. It had already led to some close calls and spilled blood. But, more urgently…

“May I ask how you are able to offer me this kind of information, Mr. Hain?” Black Hats voice felt cold in his own throat. He wanted him to know that he was rather displeased about the turn of events.

“Ah, well Mr. Black Hat, you see, in my kind of business, not unlike your own, you have a habit of encountering… _people_ … in their final moments of destiny.” Black Hat raised one eyebrow in slight confusion at this comment. _Who was Freund Hain_?

“And what exactly do you gain from this offer, Mr. Hain? Certainly, such delicate information is worth its price.” Black Hat had to find out what he was dealing with, one way or the other. These… pieces of information… they were far too valuable to just let them go. Hain smiled knowingly at him.

“As I explained before I benefit from your business more than you know. And just as stated, the recent shift in your business approach and your working ethics makes you a valuable partner for me, which I would like to keep. And much of this has to do with your current workforce.

You might not perceive it as such right now, Mr. Black Hat,” Hain’s voice became low and receded slowly to a colder tone.

“But you need them. More than you think you do. Even missing a single piece of this puzzle will result in a failure on your behalf.”

Black Hat tried his best to not grimace and remain as passive as possible. It became progressively harder, with Hain pushing his buttons in a previously unknown way.

“And why would that be, Mr. Hain?” he asked, almost physically straining to repress himself.

“You’ve become emotionally attached.”

Black Hat almost cackled. Almost.

“I can assure you, that this is not the case. I have no strong emotional connection to my workforce.”

“You cannot deny it. It is there, whether you like it or not. I know it, I have seen it happen before.”

“Who are you, Mr. Hain?” Black Hat started to get tired of his game. He wanted to see clear cards, did Hain enjoy playing the omniscient entity? Was he a medium trying to scam him of money?

“I am, what I am, Mr. Black Hat. I have been in existence for a very long time, even longer than you. So, you can take my word for: I know what I am talking about when I refer to your connections, your relationships. I’ve seen so many crumble before me.

But my proposal to you is far from over,” Hain reached inside the briefcase again and presented another file to Black Hat. Dementia was written in slightly cursive letters on it.

“Would you like to hear more, Mr. Black Hat?”

Black Hat gave a silent sigh and gestured for Hain to continue. “Please, carry on. I want to hear about her… demise.”

Hain placed the file in front of Black Hat. Black Hat glanced at him for a second before flipping the file open, skipping the information on the top completely and immediately fixing his view on the photography at the bottom.

It was Dementia, pinched between two slaps of broken ferroconcrete, the twisted metal rods sticking out from breaking point. Three of which were slammed through Dementias body, glistering with blood and traces of tissue on them. Her face was contorted in pain, a silent scream on her bloody lips; her eyes wet with tears. Black Hat wasn’t sure if the photography was showing her while her death was still occurring or shortly afterwards. He… didn’t really want to know _this kind of information_.

“Your employee Dementia will meet her demise in an attempted robbery of _your_ part, Mr. Black Hat,” Black Hat gaze flew from the photo to Hain, eyebrows scrunched together.

“You will try to gain equipment from a small military research station, having some promising technology for your business to use and extent on. You and your workforce will break in after midnight, unknowingly setting of a silent alarm, connected to an experimental bomb. It will work almost too well. The force of the explosion will completely destroy the entrance area of the station and tear away two important bearing walls, making the upper levels collapse; 30 seconds after the bomb will go off.

You will manage to escape the explosion and following collapse unharmed. However, Dementia won’t have this kind of luck. The force of the explosion will slam her body into a wall, breaking the femur bones in both her legs and the ulna and radial bone in her right arm. Unable to move freely, she cannot escape when the level above her collapses, crashing along it through the floor and pinning her between the pieces of broken concrete. This alone will fracture her body further by breaking her pelvic in three different places, as well as four of her ribs on her left side and dislodging her left arm.

The force of the fall will have her impaled on four metal rods from the broken concrete floor, three of which will pierce through her body completely. The rods will perforate her liver, pancreas and spleen and exit on her right side, as you can see on the picture. The fourth rod will pierce her left kidney, but will ultimately be too short to fully go through her body.”

Hain eyed Black Hat carefully, taking in any changes of his face when he set out to describe Dementias violent death. His smile had vanished again.

“She will be unable to comprehend what has happened to her, alive but not conscious enough to recognize you or anyone else. Her last thoughts will only revolve around the immense pain she is in. You will be at her side when it happens, when she falls through the floor and gets impaled. She will scream when the metal will drive through her flesh and organs. She will scream for exactly 7.3 seconds in a terrifying and inhumane way you will never have heard her scream before; or even think she would be capable of doing. It will subside into a fearful wheezing that will itself last for 9.1 seconds until ending up as weak crying for 6.8 seconds. After these 23.2 seconds, she will remain silent forever. You will attempt to hold her hand. It will be too late.”

Black Hat had to swallow and Hain’s eyes knowingly rested on him. He was waiting for a response.

“Mr. Hain, you still haven’t told me what you’re gaining from giving me this kind of information, or how you expect to get paid.”

“What I gain from this, is your continuous presence on the market, bringing fates to their cause and lives to their end. Your productivity has significantly risen over the last decades, but especially over these past few years, when you started Black Hat Inc.,” Hain took both files from Black Hats table and stashed them away in the briefcase.

“Your productivity reached its peak with the current workforce you employ, whether you believe it or not. With your businesses help, five conflicts and eighteen instances proceeded with a comprehensive outcome. Regarding your status and present interference on the market I can certainly perceive you as one of my merchants.

A merchant of death.”

Black Hat stared at Hain. He was tense, something in him almost anticipated Hain to lash out; but the man in front of him remained unmoved.

Black Hat stayed silent. The clock in his office stroke seven. One piece of the puzzle was still missing.

Slowly Black Hats gaze wandered down to the briefcase between him and Hain. Hain gave him the kindest smile he had ever seen. Right now, Black Hat wanted to tear this man to shreds, but he knew he couldn’t touch him. He bested many before him, over centuries, over millennials, … but he knew he could not best Hain. He was above him.

His best chances to win in Hain’s game was to remain calm himself and hear what he still had to say.

“So, Mr. Hain, will you inform me about the death of my last employee, too? I am certainly curious what will happen to him.”

“A rather slow fate, I can tell you this much.” Hain swiftly opened the briefcase again to pull out a third file. _The last file_. He handed it to Black Hat without further notice. Black Hat tried his best to subdue the tremble in his hands when taking it from him.

Dr. Flug was written in thin, straight lines on it. He slowly flipped it open. The photograph showed Dr. Flug on a bed, his body looking emaciated and sickly, the paper bag still on his head. Black Hat was able to see the bones of his joints clearly, looming under his skin, which was disgustingly pale, even for Flug. His eyes roamed over every inch of the picture, but there was no trace of blood or violence. _A slow fate_. A sickness.

“You have to admit that Dr. Flug was never one to listen to the signs of his own body or have a rational comprehension over his own health. He has worn himself out to his breaking point often enough, falling asleep at his lab desk, not even leaving the room for days. Certainly, your actions will have also taken a toll on him.

He will misread the first signs: the decrease in appetite, the nausea and the pain. He will write it off as ordinary signs of stress, having dealt with it often enough. He won’t notice the fever, being the first piece of evidence that something else is draining his body. He will continue working for you.

Dr. Flug will push himself through this torture for four days and nights, before finally collapsing on his bed, without giving notice to anybody. You will not check up on him for another day and first dismiss his condition as fatigue and give him… the rest he deserves.

By the time you realize that he is sick, the inflammation of his appendix will have progressed to a severe status, finally bursting after two days of excruciating pain, resulting in an inflammation of his inner abdominal wall. With the perforated organ serving as an inner wound, the bacteria will enter his bloodstream and cause a severe sepsis in his weakened system. He will be delirious, with his fever spiking at 40.7° Celsius.

It will be the last time he talks to you, nothing coherent of course; unconnected nonsense about his hallucinations and such. He won’t even really recognize you, thinking you will be a fidget of his imagination. Something stuck between a nightmare and a reality.

He will slip into unconsciousness shortly afterwards for about 5.27 hours, then his body will suffer from a circulatory collapse. His organs will fail in their basic function and shut down one after the other: first his spleen, followed by the kidneys and parts of his liver; after that his lungs will slowly become weaker until his body cannot provide enough oxygen to his brain anymore. As it begins to shut down, his heart will also fail as well.

After enduring 6.79 days of agony, and slipping into a comatose state for 5.36 hours, Dr. Flug will finally die.”

Hain leaned back in his chair, fingers folded; staring at Black Hat as if gazing into his soul. He had proclaimed what his offer was, but not his demand. But before that…

Black Hat was curious.

“How will it affect me?”

“How will what affect you, Mr. Black Hat?”

“Their death. How will all their deaths affect me and my work? You told me they will die,” Black Hat had to drown the fury within him. His fingers turning into claws and leaving deep indentations in the wood of the table. He knew he couldn’t impress Hain with such a spectacle, but it felt so good right now to almost give way to his emotions.

“Well, that is something mortals tend to do, be it artificial or natural.

But how will _they_ affect _me_? Why should it matter to me, whether they die within this year or the next 50 years?”

Hain gave him the warmest smile with the kindest eyes ever given to him. It was almost fatherly.

“Because you have grown fond of them. You became attached in the short amount of time they spend with you. And now you need them, to work, to function.

Each death will tear something from your very soul you never thought you’d have. And it will leave you forever. Losing all three of them this soon, this early, will result in you giving up. Your business and yourself. You will become a shadow of your former glory, having no euphoria in anything anymore. An empty husk damned to walk the earth alone.”

Black Hat stared at him silently, his expression unreadable.

“And now I would like to come to your part of the deal, Mr. Black Hat.”

 

When the clock stroke eight in the evening Freund Hain had already left. Black Hat stood in front of the tall window in his office, observing the setting sun; how the light glistered over the rooftops. He would wait another two hours until returning to the main buildings of the mansion, looking for his employees. Scaring 5.0.5. when he tried to dust off an old vase, terrifying Flug with new and brilliant ideas for inventions and avoiding Dementia, who demanded attention from him.

Black Hat wouldn’t dare to say it, but he was glad for the distraction they provided, distraction from the deal. Sure, it was ultimately favorable for him; yet it gave him certain things to ponder about. Mainly about himself. He didn’t like it, or its implications.

He was already millennials old, what did he still need deathlessness for? He had seen it all.

His immortality for the lives of three idiots. Maybe it wasn’t the best deal.

He had made it anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> "Death is a salesman beyond good and evil" - Unknown
> 
> Freund Hain - a German medieval term for death or the grim reaper, still used in some rural parts in Germany & Austra


End file.
